fredbourgeoismtl

Hello,

I'm looking for a new car. I'm hesitate between a8 1998-1999 or S4 1992-1994(s6 1995) I'm a little scared about tranny problem for the A8 and
the cost to maintain it(timing belt expensive, suspension arm, etc)

But for sure, the S4, usually, are more beaten cars.

According to your opinion after 2 years of ownership which ones are the cheapeast to live with???

Thanks

Fred

Montreal

kevinr

Sir, what are you currently driving?

fredbourgeoismtl

saab 9-5 good car but a little bit to much GM

ex-a8drifter

If you want pure power, nostalgia, dated design, and rare parts, go for the URS4 or S6....I'd have to admit though, its curious how a 20+ year car can hold its value better than the D2! The tranny is not as bad as it seems, you could either rebuild or live with the hunting until it breaks. As for the TB, every German car with similar engine design has this issue. Hell, if I was buying a 1992 car, I'd replace that belt anyways! Germans aren't known for good rubber parts! Control arms are pretty much the same across all Audis except TTs (which are VW platform). I have spent a decent amount on my car....which has a lot of miles on it! I have replaced so far not including mods:

-upper radiator hose $200 incl new coolant etc.
-all front control arms, links $700 (some labor)
-main drive shaft $500 (10 hours of my own labor)
-coolant expansion tank $35
-wheel bearing $300 w/ labor
-brake pads $60
-O2 sensors (i think it was around 200 with labor)

Mods:
-Eibach springs $300
-Wheels/tires $5000+ (dont ask)
-custom armrest (pretty much free)
-custom paddle shift (50bucks in parts and a lot of free time!)

I think I'm at almost exactly 2 years ownership!

kevinr

nice auto... what is in your budget?

fredbourgeoismtl

I can live with about 1500-2000$ maintenance a year and spend about 10k for the car.

kevinr

I've driven several! I guess it depends on what you want out of your car.

IMHO the A8 is over-engineered mindscrew...

ivans A8

A8 is the way to go, I have 97 A8Q, zero expenses in almost a year of ownership (not counting consumable items). My friend's 2002 A4 1.8T spends a lot of time in a shop and his car has less than a 70k miles.

ttuling

... just things we thought had been mastered in the 1960s like suspension bushings, wheel bearings, thermostats, transmission control and hydraulics.

I don't know what advice to offer somebody trying to decide between a small, hard riding, sharp handling car and a large, safer, semi-cushy, not particularly agile or precise one (not that soft springing needs to hurt handling precision). It's a question of personal priorities. The maintenance budget sounds about right.

Tom

sportQ

Apparently Swedish Solutions now works on Audis.